[Jandek] That Jandek Survey

[chthonic]

Are you male or female? 
- m

What part of the world do you come from? 
 - nyc, usa

How did you get into Jandek? What is your ‘story’? 
- i saw a featured section one of the local "hip" music stores and asked my friend who it was.  
he made a face and proceeded to tell me how much it sucked.  that probably put the seed of 
wanting to actually hear it in my head.  didn't get to hear anything until i heard the 
documentary was coming out, which i ordered right away despite knowing nothing about the 
artist.  i was hooked from the first notes of music on the soundtrack.

How do you define being a Jandek fan? Do you consider 
yourself a Jandek fan? 
- i try not to consider myself a fan of anything although that's probably impossible and 
untrue in several cases.  for jandek i don't think i've reached "fan" level yet, although i 
respect what he's done.
 
Why did you join the mailing list? How often do you 
post? Do you use the digest format?
- joined to discuss theories and reactions to the music.  i post when something strikes me as 
a discussion i can add to (or subtract from in the case of refuting some things).

What do your friends and family think about Jandek? 
What do they think about you listening to Jandek? 
- my friend who initially said it sucked still thinks so.  others just let the subject drop.

To what extent does the ‘myth of Jandek’ – the mystery 
surrounding his identity – appeal to you? 
- there is more to the myth than the identity of jandek, which to me really doesn't matter.  
what i find fascinating is the relentless, single-minded aesthetic and the sheer volume of 
releases.  the lack of information and reclusiveness is interesting as a backstory, but if i 
didn't enjoy at least some of the music, i wouldn't bother with the rest of it.

Have you ever tried to contact Corwood Industries or 
Sterling Smith for reasons other than placing an 
order? What happened?
- no, only placed an order.  the man clearly wants to keep the public past arm's length. i 
don't bother pursuing , speculating, or asking questions.

What is your perception of other Jandek fans? 
- i have no overall perception or interest in that aspect.  

Why do you like Jandek? 
- it's spooky, original music, being released independently by an artist with his own voice.

How often do you listen to Jandek? 
- once or twice a month.  my music collection is too huge to dwell on any one artist for too 
long. 

What other music do you listen to? 
- as i'm answering this, my other CDs at work are scott walker (melancholy folk-pop), 
ministry (industrial dance), ulver (progressive art-rock), the vines (rock), seekness (dark 
ambient soundscapes), and 2 german techno CDs. 

Is there anything I have not asked that you would like 
to tell me?
- i wish it were a little bit easier to sample jandek's music before buying.  i only have 4 CDs 
plus the second summersteps compilation and would like more, but with such a huge catalog 
i don't have the money to just blindly buy a stack of albums unheard.


d. in nyc